"I would like to see the federal government take a leadership role in addressing global warming. In the absence of leadership at the federal level, we need to show good stewardship at the state level," Swanson said in a statement.

California contends it can obtain a waiver from the federal government in order to set its own vehicle emissions standards. Other states can then adopt the California standards rather than the federal regulations.

Thirteen of the 15 states joining the lawsuit have already adopted, or are in the process of adopting, the California standards. Minnesota has not done so. Swanson said she filed the petition in order to preserve the state's ability to adopt the standards.